Plague
by starthedog
Summary: When a new unknown plague wrecks havoc across Hyrule, it's up to King Link and Queen Zelda to protect what little they have left. Ocarina of Time Zombie AU.
1. Chapter 1

ReDeads. That was the best word that could describe the creatures that now spanned all of Hyrule. But that name is inaccurate as they were far different and far more terrifying than the empty husks. It started off small- a village or two would report an incident of one person attacking another, but it was quickly controlled and mostly isolated. But somehow these incidents began to spread until more and more of these attacks happened. For a while nobody knew how this pandemic spread so quickly until people realized anyone bitten or scratched by the creatures would turn into them. It almost always happened immediately. A bite, the victim kneeled over in pain then would collapse without moving for a number of minutes, then rising again with blank and soulless eyes. They moaned with every step they took and although slow, a large mass of them could easily overcome any army force the Royal Family could send out.

It seems like everyone in Hyrule fled to Castle Town for protection. The closer to the Royal Family, the better right? But no- with large migrations of living, larger masses of the dead followed. It took a fortnight but they came. The army did all they could to protect the innocent people of Castle Town, however it was no use. By sundown the entire militia had fallen and the ReDeader, as the people had come to call them, had overflowed the town.

The Royal Family could only watch in horror from the uppermost part of the castle as their loyal citizens were either eaten alive or turned into monsters. Queen Zelda had no choice but to act upon one last desperate course of action. Using all her might and strength she cast a magical barrier around her home to protect all those who remained. Or so she hoped.

It had now been three days since the shield was cast. Every single ReDeader that had swarmed the town was collected at the bottom, clawing and punching, trying to break the barrier. And with each passing hour, more and more arrived. It seemed like every ReDeader in Hyrule was being attracted to the castle.

Now, Zelda stood in her bedroom looking forlornly out of a large window. Over the past few days she had become accustomed to the constant moaning and groaning of the monsters. She was almost indifferent to them and the constant danger. But at this point in time she felt worry spike up in her heart. Her husband and king of Hyrule, Link, had left the castle despite her pleas and outright begging for him to not do so. "I need to get the Master Sword from the Temple of Time," he had calmly told her, "if those _things_ get in here…" He had trailed off and looked down, worry tinting his eyes. "Look, I need to protect you and Sheik, no matter the cost."

So, Zelda had decided to let him go. He was the Hero of Time. He could handle this. Right? Oh, she hoped so. "Oh Link…" she sighed again. It had been almost three hours. He should be back by now. Shouldn't he? Maybe not. He was well equipped. A strong, durable sword, his shield, a longshot and a fairy in a bottle if worse came to worse. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the tugging on her gown until a small voice spoke up.

"Mommy?" She looked down to see bright, curious blue eyes looking up at her. It was their seven year-old son, Sheik. "Is Daddy back yet?" He looked scared.

Taking his hand and leading him to her king sized bed, she quietly answered "No honey, not yet. Here, come sit on Mommy's lap." Sheik hopped up and took a seat on Zelda's knees. "But he'll be back soon, I promise." Sheik was the spitting image of his father. The handsome face, the hair (even though it was a bit brighter than Link's), and the long Hylian ears. She smiled a bit to herself. He looked just like Link when they first met in the courtyard of the castle all those years ago.

"Mommy, why are you smiling?" her son asked.

"Oh I was just remembering the day I met your father sweetie. In this day and age you have to keep hold on the fond memories and let go of the nasty ones. Have I ever told you that you look just like your him when he was your age?" She ruffled up his hair, making him laugh which in turn made her laugh.

Their laughter was interrupted however as the doors to the room burst open and an exasperated maid appeared. "My lady!" she exclaimed, "Your husband has returned!" Zelda gasped and Sheik jumped off her lap. As they raced towards the door, Zelda shot a quick thanks to the three Golden Goddesses, followed by a quick prayer that he was alright.

Running through the halls in a long gown proved to be difficult, as she was constantly tripping and snagging the dress in her shoes. It didn't matter to her. Nothing mattered to her besides the fact that her husband was alive and he was back to safety. As she turned the final corner her heart sank when she saw the condition Link was in.

He was slumping backwards on a large couch in the foyer with his eyes closed. His clothes were ragged and torn and he was bleeding profusely from a cut of some sort on his arm. A doctor was tending to it with gauze and antibiotics though, so she wasn't too worried about. He also had a large number of smaller injuries up and down both arms and legs, as well as on his face. He winced in pain as the doctor applied medicine to the gash on his arm.

"Oh my goodness, Link!" His wife's voice made Link's eyes shoot open and a weak smile crept onto his face she sat down beside him, followed closely by his son. Zelda gingerly put her hand to his face and traced his jaw line. "Oh Link…What happened to you?" Now that she was close to him she could also see that his lip was spilt and he had a large bruise on his forehead. Weakly he sat himself up, much to the dismay of the doctor tending to him who protested against it. Link ignored him.

Chuckling a bit, he glanced around Zelda to look at his son. "Hey bud, would you mind giving me and your mom a minute?" He turned his attention to the physician, "You too." He watched them leave the room and the moment they were out of earshot, he slumped back again. "Oh man, Zelda. You wouldn't even believe what's out there." He closed his eyes and his face tensed up, as if trying to get rid of the memory. "They're everywhere. In houses, in the wells. There were even some in the Temple of Time. I thought that the Master Sword, even without me wielding it, would be able to repel them." He sighed.

"The Master Sword…Link did you manage to get it?"

He smiled again and nodded his head to right, towards a corner of the room. Zelda looked over his shoulder and saw the Blade of Evil's Bane in its scabbard resting on a table. She sighed in relief. At least his trip wasn't in bane. "Yeah I got it. Almost cost me an arm and leg though. I wish the Ocarina of Time still worked." A few years ago, the Ocarina suddenly stopped being able to teleport the player to different locations. It could still call upon storms and summon Link's trusty steed, Epona from anywhere in Hyrule, but anything that required a major amount of magic no longer worked. They just assumed that the magic had simply worn away from years of being played.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Zelda laid her head down on her husband's shoulder and grabbed his hand. The silence was unbearable. They both knew the question on her mind. "Link," she broke the silence, "did any of them… get you?" Even though most of the time the transformation was instant, there were times when it could take a whole day to become a monster.

Link stayed silent for too long. Zelda knew the answer before he even said it. She sat up and looked at him, silent tears streaming down her face.

"Zelda, please don't cry-"

"Don't cry? How do you expect me not?" she almost yelled the questions at him, before remembering that their son was probably still near, if not eavesdropping on them through the door right now. "You were bit by one of those _things_. You're…you're…." her voice trailed off into a harsh, spiteful whisper. She was visibly shaking and her tears were flowing heavier now.

Link grabbed her by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. "Zelda," his voice was calm and comforting but his gaze was stern, "you forget I'm one of the chosen three." He lifted his left arm- the one that had been bitten- and removed the glove on his hand. There, Zelda saw through her tears a faint outline of three triangles on the back of his hand. The one on the bottom left was glowing a very faint gold color. It was Link's part of the Triforce- the Triforce of Courage. Zelda had a similar marking on her left hand, but hers was for the Triforce of Wisdom. "I'm the chosen Hero. I defeated Ganondorf and imprisoned him in the Sacred Realm. There is no way this…this _plague _is going to stop me." He lifted Zelda's head to his and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I won't let it."

Zelda smiled a bit. "I suppose you're right…" She wiped the tears away and stood up. She began to wander around the room aimlessly, subconsciously walking towards the Master Sword. She picked it up and removed it from its sheathe. It was a glorious blade. Made from one of the strongest metals on the planet and enchanted many thousands of years ago by some unknown hero, this sword was evil's worst nightmare. Countless beasts, demons and warlocks had had their blood shed on its blade, but it remained in pristine condition, never to stain. She lifted it up and gazed at the reflection it cast of her. "Link," she spoke his name in a questioning tone, "why did you want the Master Sword? Your own blade could have worked just fine to protect us."

During her wandering, Link had called the doctor back into the room, who was now frantically checking over his whole body. Sheik had been told to wait a little while longer. He chuckled a bit and cracked his neck, which the doctor yelled at him for. "Yes, I could have protected you just fine with the sword the military gave me, my _true _blade is the one you're holding." He muffled a yelp of pain as the doctor touched a sensitive area. "That sword gives me much more power than a flimsy military grade blade. The Master Sword is a weapon of the Goddesses." Another stifled yelp. "Hey doc, could you be a bit more careful please?"

"I'm sorry your majesty." He apologized with a quick bow. "I'm just doing as thorough of a job as I can do. And lucky for you, it appears that you're fine. Just make sure you use a fairy by the end of the day and you should be in top shape by tomorrow." He glanced at the bandages on his arm. "However I must ask, how in the name of Farore did you manage to get a gash that deep?"

"I was travelling by rooftop," he lied coolly, "when I lost my footing and fell. I scraped it on the side of a roof."

"That's a pretty deep scrape." He mumbled to himself. "Would you like me to send young master Sheik in? I'm sure he's missing you an awful lot." Link nodded. Curtsying quickly to both the King and the Queen, he left the room and Sheik came rushing in.

"Daddy! Daddy!" He ran and leaped into Link's lap, causing him to keel over in pain. "Oops, I'm sorry!" Sheik's voice was tinted in concern. Zelda couldn't help but laugh as she came and sat down by her husband and son.

Link shot her a play dirty look. "Yeah. 'Hardy har har.'" Zelda stuck out her tongue at him. Rolling his eyes, Link looked at his son. "Don't worry about it kiddo. Mistakes happen. Painful mistakes."

"Did you get the thingy you wanted? Did you beat any of those things? What happened to your arm?" Sheik asked all in one breath. He wrapped his arms around Link's neck and buried his head into his chest. "Are those going to get to us?"

Link cast a worried glance at Zelda then stroked his son's hair. "No Sheik. They won't get to us. I won't let them."


	2. Chapter 2

Three days had passed since Link returned to the castle. Zelda could tell he was in constant pain, but he tried to mask it with a fake smile. It was starting to get difficult hiding his ailment from Sheik. The young prince was also starting to catch on to how serious of a predicament the land of Hyrule was in.

On the second day of Link being, Zelda had caught Sheik peering out a window in his room- something he had been forbidden to do since the epidemic started. "Sheik!" Zelda had scolded him, shutting the curtains with a bit too much force. "What did your father and I tell you about looking out the windows?"

He was quiet for a few moments, before looking at her. "Mommy," he said, "I saw Malon." Zelda's heart skipped a beat and a feeling of dread reared its ugly head. "She looked weird. There was blood all over her face," he rubbed his face to emphasize the fact. "And her hair was messy and I think she was missing an eye. She also looked grey, kind of like a ghost. Will she get better? Will her eye grow back?" he sounded and looked so innocent. "Or…is she one of those things that everyone is afraid of?"

Zelda hesitated a moment, unsure how to answer her son. Should she lie to protect his innocence and give him false hope? Or tell him the truth and risk disturbing him? She sighed and kneeled down so she was eye level with him. "No…no I don't think she'll get better, honey."

"Oh."

"But, she's in a better place. Or, at least her essence is. She's with Din, Farore and Nayru now. Where it's always sunny and there are no illnesses."

"Are there doggies there?

Zelda chuckled a little. "Yes. There are doggies everywhere! Just waiting to be played with."

He smiled a bit then cocked his head to the side. "Will we be going there soon too mommy?"

The smile that had been slowly creeping its way onto Zelda's face disappeared in an instant. "No, honey. Not as long as your father is here to protect us."

It was night. The castle was silent aside from the moans and groans of the ReDeaders outside. Zelda was looking out the window in her bedroom at the moon. It was full and looked even bigger than usual. This was the third full moon that had appeared since the first distress signal had been sent out. She flinched but quickly relaxed as her husband came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he whispered.

She sighed. "It would be even more-so if we weren't all fearing for our lives." She broke free of Link's embrace and sat down on the bed. "How's your arm?"

Link remained silent for a few seconds, casting a glance at his limb, then back to his wife. "I…" he gulped and lifted the back of his hand to his face to see the sacred insignia on it. "Zelda, I can't wield the Master Sword with it anymore."

"What…what do you mean you can't wield it? You're its chosen holder." A hint of fear lined Zelda's voice for a brief moment, but she suppressed it to keep calm. She didn't want to worry her husband anymore than he already was.

Link ran his hand through his medium length blond hair and sighed as he walked over and sat next to Zelda. "I don't really know." He admitted. "'The Sword of Evil's Bane'…that's its true title. And those things out there are evil…" his voice trailed off for fleeting second before picking back up again. "If I'm turning into one of them, no matter how slow, it would only make sense." He sighed again and fell backwards onto the bed. "Think about it, why would the Master Sword allow something it detects as evil hold it? My left hand, the one that was bitten, gets zapped-painfully I might add- when I try to hold it. But my right one? Not a problem at all." Zelda remained quiet.

"The scary part is I can feel it. Whatever it is that turns people into those monsters, I can feel it seeping through my body."

"Link-"

"It hurts a bit. Not a lot, just a minor burning sensation. Especially on my left side. It's getting closer to my heart."

"Link please-"

"Zelda, I'm not sure how much time I have left-"

"STOP!" Zelda almost screamed the command. Link sat up and looked at her. She was holding back tears. "Just stop. Din damn it Link, you're not going to turn into one of those things." She grabbed hold of him and buried herself into his chest. "Sheik and I need you. You said so yourself, the goddesses would never allow you to turn into one of them."

"Zelda-"

"Just shut up for Nayru's sake!" Zelda didn't even bother to restrain herself. She was actually angry at Link- a feeing she hadn't felt since before they married. "Why the hell can't you just try to believe you'll get better, huh?" She lifted her head out of his chest and pushed him away. "It's like you don't even want to believe that you'll be fine! Do you want to die? Is that it? Well in that case, feel free to leave!" She was shaking and her face was red. Tears of spite rolled down her cheeks. "Just go…"

Link was speechless. As he sat there dumbfounded, Zelda's tears turned into loud sobs. She was caught off guard as Link threw his arms around her and brought her into a tight embrace. "Oh Zelda," she felt his own tears dripping onto her shoulder, "I'm so sorry." His words caught in his throat and a loud sob escaped his lips. "I'm so, so, so sorry. I don't want to die. I don't want to turn into one of those things. I'm just afraid, okay. I'm afraid I'll hurt you or Sheik. So afraid…"

Zelda wrapped her arms around him and stroked his hair. She instantly felt bad for reading him wrong- he was just afraid that she and their son might lose him. But, he was the Hero of Time. He defeated Ganondorf and saved the world and was never scared during all that time. Even when faced with almost certain death at the final battle, he never even flinched. And now, for the first time, Zelda was seeing her husband cry. Not because of a death, or illness, or grief. But because he was scared.

With a sickening feeling in her chest, Zelda realized Link may not have been telling her everything about his condition. She feared he may not have much time left at all.


	3. Chapter 3

When Zelda awoke the next morning, her husband wasn't besides her. Odd, as most of the time whenever he got up during the night the sudden emptiness besides her would wake her up if his movements did not. She must have slept better and deeper than she thought.

Rubbing her eyes and yawning she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, getting it stuck on a knot. She sighed and reached for a brush on her bedside table. _What's even the point of prettying myself up nowadays_? she thought as she gently glided it through her long, blonde hair, _It's not like there's a kingdom to rule anymore. No one to impress, no real reason to look like royalty_. Yet, despite these thoughts, she found herself walking towards her vanity. In an almost robotic like way, she ran her fingers through her hair again as she delicately braided it. Normally she would have maids be doing this for her and the final product come out much more intricate and formal, but, again, what was the point? Once both sides were braided she pulled them back and tied them together with a ribbon. She looked at herself and the mirror and couldn't help but smile faintly.

She ducked down to below the vanity and opened a drawer. It was a shelf that before the epidemic she rarely got to open but now she found herself visiting it more often. Her casual wear clothing was seeing a lot more action now-a-days. She shuffled around the summer dresses and skirts before finding something that she liked. She pulled it out and held it in front of her. It was a light purple, almost lavender, tunic. Even for casual wear standards, she didn't wear it a lot. It was almost exclusively reserved for hiking day trips that she and Link would like to embark on. After Sheik was born, however, those already rare days became even scarcer. As it turns out raising a child and being a queen at the same time was a demanding, full-time job.

She groaned as she realized that doing her before getting dressed for the day was not a smart idea. "Well, I guess it's time to do this the hard way." She carefully stepped into the neck of the tunic and pulled it up. It was a tight fit, but she got it to work. She grabbed a pair of tights, slipped them on and opened the door to the hallway.

"Good morning your Majesty." The guard stationed at the door greeted her with a bow.

"Oh Edward, you really don't have to address me as a queen anymore." She cast him a quick smile. "Have you seen my husband? Also, is Sheik awake yet?"

Edward nodded. "Your husband awoke just an hour ago. He told me to tell you he was at the training ground in the courtyard. I'm not sure how safe it is outside the walls of the castle but your husband is qualified to protect himself. As for your son, no he has not yet awoken. Would you like me to do so?"

_The training ground? What is he doing there? "_No thank you, let him sleep. Just please make sure he eats his breakfast when he wakes up." She began to walk past the guard.

"Uh, not to intrude, but where are you going?"

"Oh, to pay my husband a visit."

Edward gasped and grabbed her wrist. "Please forgive me for speaking out of line, but I cannot allow you to do that. It is simply must too dangerous!"

"Oh please, like you said, my husband is more than qualified to protect me. It's just the courtyard, I'll be fine. It's not like I'm going to the outer reaches of the castle ground. If anything were to happen, my husband can protect me just fine."

"Well…" Edward's grip loosened and Zelda pulled away. "I guess when you put it that way, it's okay."

"Thank you very much Edward." Zelda turned around and headed down the stairs.

On her way to the training ground she was stopped at least five more times and to explain herself as many. Some guards were okay with letting her go, while others were much more adamant with not letting her go. However in the end Zelda was able to set foot outside for what felt like the first time in ages.

Outside, the moaning and groaning was much more noticeable. And although she couldn't see any where she stood, she could almost feel their dead eyes staring at her. A shiver crept down her spine but shook it off as she set out for the courtyard.

Before she even arrived, she could hear her husband's grunting and groaning which could only mean he was swinging his sword. Odd, seeing as he is unable to wield the Master Sword. But as she turned to corner to the training grounds, she saw why.

Link was facing a human shaped target made out of hay wielding the sword not with his left hand but with his right. He was trying to train himself to be able to use his opposite hand. His left arm hung useless by his side with his hand curled into a fist. It swung with his movements, as if it was dead and he had no control over it. Seeing as he had not yet noticed her, Zelda decided to hang back and watch him.

He wiped some sweat off his brow and took a battle ready stance. His grip on the hilt of the sword tightened as he swung it forward. "Hiya!" he yelled as he cut the dummy cleanly in half diagonally. He stepped back and took in a deep breath before turning around and grabbing another dummy from large pile behind. Zelda only now noticed how big the pile of stabbed or mutilated targets was next to the stand. He dragged it along behind him, as he had not let go of the Master Sword. He grunted quietly in what sounded like pain as he set it up right on the stand. Suddenly, he bent over from the waist and dropped his sword. He grabbed his left shoulder tightly and his eyes shot wide open in pain.

"Link!" Zelda ran out from her hiding spot and rushed over to him.

"Zelda?!" Link turned his head towards her which shot pain through his body. He screamed and fell to his knees. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth to try to stop from yelling out in pain and crying. He dry heaved.

Zelda reached his and threw her arms around him. "Sh sh sh it's okay." She stroked his hair in an attempt to stop him from shaking. "It's okay Link. It's okay, I'm here." She held him tighter as his shaking got less serious. She continued to whisper sweet nothings to him until he just became limp and fell back onto her.

Panicking for a moment, she quickly placed her hand over his heart and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a steady and even heartbeat. She gently laid him down in the grass and caressed his head and upper body in her arms. She wiped a stray strand of hair out of his face and traced his jaw line down to his neck and finally placing her palm on his chest. "Oh Link…" she frowned deeply, "what's wrong with you?" She really should bring him to in infirmary, she knew, but they wouldn't be able to treat him. His illness, if you could even call it that, was far more than any doctor could handle.

Suddenly, Link erupted into a coughing fit and his eyes shot open. He jolted upward, surprising Zelda enough to make her stumble backwards. "Zelda!?" Fear filled his eyes followed quickly by relief and comfort as he pulled her towards him. "Thank the goddesses you're alright."

"_I'm_ alright?" shock edged her voice, "What about you? What in the name of Nayru just happened? Are _you _alright?"

He lightened the embrace slightly, so he could look at her face. "Yes I'm okay. Stuff like this has been happening for the past few days."

"What!?-"

"I'm just glad I didn't do anything to you." He smiled and kissed her gently before pulling her into a more passionate one. Things would've gone farther if not for Zelda pulling away much the dismay of Link.

"What the hell Link? You say this kind of stuff has been happening for _days_? Why haven't you told me? And why haven't I seen? What the hell just happened to you?"

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. "It's nothing really. At least I don't think so at least. Just once or twice a die my arm will really hurt and I'll black out."

Zelda saw right through his lie. "You're not telling the whole story. Don't you dare lie to the Holder of Wisdom- it never ends well."

Link looked down in defeat. "I didn't want you to see me like that. I don't know what happening, okay? All I know it has to do with this." He lifted his sleeve and showed her the bite mark. It was swelled and dry blood surrounded it. The skin around it was either black or a light, sickly grey color. The veins on his arm looked sickly as well. Although it wasn't new anymore, it showed no signs of scabbing over. In fact, it looked horribly infected. More-so, it looked like it hurt. "It hurts more and more each day. Sometimes it causes me so much pain that I lose my mind for a second. Did you notice that some of the candle holders in the washroom were gone? Well I broke them. I was in there and…and I just lost control. I don't even know what happened. A few seconds later, I had glass shards in my hand but I wasn't bleeding. It didn't hurt either. It was terrifying, Zelda." His voice trailed off for a second. "I…I didn't hurt you did, I?"

"No Link." Zelda's voice was a coarse whisper. "You didn't."

"That's why I was out here using the sword. I was hoping to be able to tell you about it out here, without having to worry about eavesdroppers." He sighed. "A demonstration is better than an explanation though, right?"

"In this case, no."

They both stayed silent for what felt like hours, but what couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Possibly even seconds. They were both holding each other like they never wanted to let go.

"Zelda, when I turn into one of those things, I want you to be the one to off me." Link spoke up.

Zelda gasped. "Link, how could you even say something like that? We don't know-"

"Yes we do, Zelda. I need you to promise me. I can't put you or our son at risk." He looked into her eyes, silently pleading her to agree. "Please, Zelda, please."

Zelda closed her eyes in thought. She shook her head- but only barely. "Yes Link, I promise."


End file.
